The High Price of Opinions

The great thing about opinions is that they do not have to be based on fact. Working with a metaphorical bowl, all one has to do is pour in some cups of bias, sprinkle it with cherry picked information, put in a couple of teaspoons full of preference, and then drop in a pinch or two of judgment and you have that one thing so many of us love to express at a moment's notice: our opinion. Another great thing about opinions is that we do not even have to know all that much about the particular subject or persons about which or whom we are expressing our opinion. Throw up a topic up in the air or the name of a public figure or celebrity, for instance, and often we are the fastest draw in the old west when it comes to bursting forth with our opinion. They are fun. They give us a sense of importance or superiority. They do not require all that much thought. And they make us feel good. In terms of cheap fun, is there anything better than opinions?

Ironically, while opinions are cheap, they can be and often are quite costly. For instance, have you ever been around someone who is constantly negative? Most everything they say speaks to the negative side of something or someone. "This is not going to work;" "We're never going to get this done;" and "Nobody knows what they are doing" are just some of the expressions that spew out of their mouths as constantly as beer flows at a fraternity keg party. The cost of opinions of this nature is high because they are often unfounded, unwanted, hurtful and, to those within regular earshot, either demoralizing, annoying or both. While I am not saying we should stop expressing negative opinions about anything, I do believe we as a so-called free people need to be more sensitive to their potential high cost.

On a national level, I look at the news every day and try to stay on top of much of the reporting and commentary that goes on the major networks and cable programs, and I find myself more and more concerned at the deep hurt people of all persuasions are doing to our nation simply through those cheap and easy thrills called "opinions." More and more the opinions those bringing us the news and those in the news express strike me as doing more harm than good to our nation and to the psyche of its citizenry. It is no wonder so many people seem angry, confused, angry, and disillusioned. When they are constantly being hit over the head with thoughtless commentary in the form of verbal attacks and negative opinions, then it is no wonder so many feel as negatively as they do. As far as this concerns me, more and more I find myself putting less and less stock in the opinions of others. It is a much-abused form of communication that in many ways have overstayed its welcome. For all who communicate - and this covers everyone - it is time to set a new seat at the table for facts.